We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Tracy Johnson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Tracy thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What sort of legacy are you hoping to build. What do you think people will say about you after you are gone, what do you hope to be remembered for?

Apart of my purpose in this life is showing people the beauty and resilience in themselves through narrative photography. The pictures that I enjoy taking and the stories I love sharing are typically the ones of deeply moving accounts of resilient milestones in people’s lives. I treasure opportunities to celebrate others, giving them a glimpse of how beautiful their evolution in growth days can be.

Every person who has ever overcome any life obstacle- bouncing back seemingly unscathed from any wreckage, has a story that needs to be told. Some are obvious and others are still to be discovered. I would hope that my legacy leaves me remembered as the kind, passionate, caring little lady who helped others document their visual milestones and legacies.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Hi awesome Readers! I am a photographer. But what I DO is visual storytelling. In fact, I have a passion for telling stories through photography. In particular I specialise in creating magical images that blur the lines of our dreams and reality, Let me join you for a moment in time, and capture beautiful images that let your individuality and personality shine through. It brings me great joy using my photography as a beautiful means to reflect back to people what is happening in their lives. Every family has a story and every person a hero’s journey. It’s my work to bring that out, even when people insist there is nothing interesting in their lives to photograph. There is always a story, and knowing how to tell it is an art while using the camera is a skill.

I started my photography journey during my sophomore year at Spelman College while studying Sociology. I’d spend my free time capturing anything from endearing photos of engaging campus functions to individual portfolio development. However, what began as a hobby quickly turned into a passion. I knew I wanted a platform that would help me highlight the everyday, unsung heroes who wouldn’t otherwise be celebrated. Haute Pink Mustard Seed Magazine was the catalyst to fulfilling that dream. Today, I use my art to create captivating visual narratives showing people the resilience they possess within themselves. These are a few of the accolades I’m most proud of.

I am set apart from other shooters because of my capacity to be empathetic. I naturally care about the feelings of my subjects and that empathy is actually feeling those feelings. I find when I do that, I better understand my subject as an individual rising. This, in turn, makes me better able to represent their essence as a human being in a photograph.

What I’d like potential clients/followers/fans to know is this: Healing on a deep level is not linear. Many of us are dealing with things in our adult lives which we had neglected in our youth and teenage years but that’s ok. Just keep moving and don’t be too hard on yourself. The time is now! Time to recover the energy of pieces of self we may have knowingly or unknowingly scattered from.

Using inspiring visual storytelling, I invite you to penetrate defensive, intimidating inner terrain that often prevents us from encountering our loving, grace-filled, compassionate self that hides its vulnerability in our depths…sometimes, we think that we want to disappear but all we really want is to be found. Let me join you for a moment in time, and capture beautiful images that let your individuality and personality shine through. You are amazing!

Narrative photography sessions with me can be life changing for anyone of any age, race, gender or class. It’s one of the loveliest gifts you can give yourself or anyone you care about who is doing their thing, glowing and growing!

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding aspect of being a creative is knowing that my art is meaningful. Like i mentioned earlier, my mission is to help people see the beauty in themselves. I absolutely enjoy witnessing clients become emboldened, empowered and elevated once they see themselves through my lens.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Resilience is built through overcoming adversity and challenges, and Lord knows I’ve had my fair share and then some.

By the time I graduated high school, I was already a teenage mother of two. People in the community said I wouldn’t escape the system, but I did. I enlisted into the US Army right after graduation and proudly served our country learning many things along the way.

I once mistook a stalemate for a soulmate and that ended up costing me my freedom. I spent a year in prison and two on parole after he asked me to hold a small container of drugs for him during a traffic stop, which I reluctantly did. I was once again told that my life was doomed as a result of my choices. However, I went on the graduate from Spelman College with leadership honors.
During my second year of law school, I endured several surgeries in a year’s time from complications of a double mastectomy I underwent as a result of me choosing to get black-market breast enhancements.

So yes, I’ve certainly withstood some pain and challenges in my life that were incredibly hard; to put it in more honest terms, grueling. It first broke me down and stripped me vulnerable, baring all of my flaws and exposing traumas I never even realized I carried. But, thank God for grace. I’m healing daily and I really love that for me! My resilience comes from not giving up when I want to do anything else but come head-to-head with life’s challenges. This is what will empower you!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.TheArtofFreshPhotography.com
• Instagram: @theartoffreshphotography
• Other: TikTok @theartoffreshphotography

Image Credits
Tracy J at The Art of Photography